Sunday, 17 September 2017

POLICE have been stopped from indiscriminate use of metal spikes on
vehicles as new measures are being introduced to deal with errant
drivers on the country’s roads.The use of spikes had attracted immense criticism from motorists who
felt there were better avenues for modern policing systems on the
country’s roads. The Sunday Mail has established that over the last
few weeks, police have gradually phased out the use of spikes after
being stopped by Government. Municipal police have also discarded the
instruments with Harare City Council now turning to electronic
technology to deal with road menace.Deploying road spikes on a mobile vehicle without lawful excuse
already carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years and or a fine of up
to US$3 000 in terms of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act
Chapter IV.The decision comes a few weeks after President Mugabe criticised traffic police officers who use spikes.In comments that attracted huge cheers from thousands of people at
the burial of national heroes Cdes Maud Muzenda and George Rutanhire at
the National Heroes Acre, President Mugabe said spikes pose a danger to
the public.Home Affairs Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo last week said police would only use spikes in exceptional situations.He said: “Police no longer use spikes to stop vehicles. Spikes are
only used when there are reasonable grounds to stop a suspect who would
have evaded a police roadblock or an order by a law officer to stop.
This means that not every officer you come across on the roads will have
spikes.“What police are doing now is that when a motorist refuses to stop
when ordered to do so, the officers will alert the next road block and
this is where spikes can be used because the driver would have refused
to stop and there is reasonable grounds to believe that they may have
committed a crime.

When a driver complies with an order to stop then there is no need to
use spikes. Spikes will only be used to deal with trouble makers who
refuse to comply with orders to stop. This is the standard procedure
worldwide.“In the past we used to have our police armed with guns during
patrols but now things have changed. Guns are only used when there is
reasonable grounds that the suspect could be a dangerous criminal. We
urge motorists to stop when they are ordered to do so by law officers
and this should be within reasonable distance.”Harare City Council traffic officers who had also become notorious
for their indiscriminate use of the spikes have also stopped using the
instruments. Council spokesperson Mr Micheal Chideme said the city had
turned to technology.He said: “We have evolved, we are now using technology whereby we
capture the offenders’ details such as the vehicle’s registration plate
and send them tickets to their registered addresses. If they fail to pay
in time, legal proceedings will be instituted. We send their details to
our partners — Zinara and CVR — so that whenever they want to renew
their licenses they will have to pay first.”Section 38 Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter IV
criminalises throwing instruments such as spikes on moving vehicles.Police are introducing new innovations to better manage traffic
policing with roadblocks soon to be under 24-hour satellite
surveillance, with real-time images beamed to a central server to help
curb corruption and harassment of motorists. The Electronic Traffic
Management System which is being gradually introduced will see road
traffic offenders pay most fines electronically.

It is being implemented via a partnership between Government and
Univern Enterprises Limited, and also targets road traffic violations
and vehicle theft. The innovation is similar to the Zimbabwe Revenue
Authority’s Electronic Transit Cargo Tracking System aimed at curtailing
transit fraud and illegal dumping of goods on the domestic market.
Police officers at roadblocks or on highway patrol will be equipped with
electronic tablets to scan vehicle licence discs. The vehicle owner’s
name, driver’s licence number, vehicle purchase information and other
details will be retrieved immediately. sunday mail